Thursday, October 18, 2012Health officials being extra cautious as they monitor meningitis outbreakOnly four providers in Ohio received the steroid involved in the original recall of steroid injectionsStory by MARK HEYNE

Health officials continue to keep a close watch on the meningitis outbreak linked to recalled steroid injections. The Ohio Department of Health recently published a Food and Drug Administration list of 64 facilities in the state that received products of any kind from the New England Compounding Center. But O-D-H spokeswoman Tessie Pollock says this is a precaution since, so far, only three lots of one particular steroid from N-E-C-C have been linked to the fungal meningitis.

“It’s not that these expanded recalled products have been connected to any illnesses. It’s not that we know of any particular risk. We’re just making sure that health care providers are aware that they received them and that they reach out to their patients to just make them aware to be monitoring for any symptoms in case any illnesses do develop.”

Pollock says there are only four providers in Ohio that received the steroid involved in the original recall. She says these were used for back injections. Nine people in the state have become ill, but no one has died.